DEADLINE TO REUNITE IMMIGRANT PARENTS WITH THEIR CHILDREN EXPIRED AND HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN REMAIN APART FROM THEIR PARENTS
July 29, 2018
LULAC OHIO PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Lourdes Ribera
Lribera@lulac.org
Phone: 513-300-0561
DEADLINE TO REUNITE IMMIGRANT PARENTS WITH THEIR CHILDREN EXPIRED AND HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN REMAIN APART FROM THEIR PARENTS
At the expiration of court deadline to reunite migrant families separated during its “zero tolerance” border crackdown, the Trump Administration said that it has delivered an additional 1,442 children to parents detained in immigration custody and is on track to return all those deemed “eligible” for reunification. However, 757 children remain in government shelters. Some of the parents have already been deported and may never reunite with their children.
LULAC Ohio condemns the Trump Administration for the inhumane approach to this problem – which was a problem of its own creation. “This situation breaks my heart and is totally unacceptable. Anyone who is a parent knows the pain these parents are going through not knowing if they will ever see their children,” said Lourdes Ribera, Deputy State Director for LULAC Ohio.
In LULAC, we believe that every child, regardless of nationality, deserves to be safe and protected. Because of recent policy change enacted by the Trump Administration, adults who arrived at the southern border were being prosecuted for illegal entry and their children were forcibly separated from them, even if they were seeking asylum. This policy resulted in nearly 3,000 children being forcibly separated from their parents with no clear tracking system or plans on how families would be reunified. As of today’s deadline, hundreds of children still remain in government shelters, including 431 children separated from parents that have already been deported and therefore may never be able to be reunited with their children.
“The Trump Administration continues to violate international law as well as basic human rights and dignity through its callous and inhumane policies and enforcement methods. We find the government’s excuses regarding why it cannot complete the reunification process to be unacceptable,” says Jessica A. Ramos, LULAC Ohio’s Civil Rights Director.
As constituents of the great state of Ohio, we are urging all voters to call on their legislators and ask them to make a conscious collective call that children should never be separated from their parents, even in cases where the parents’ only "crime" is coming to the United States in search of a better life for their family. The current Administration's policy of “zero tolerance” has resulted in traumatizing and unnecessarily interfering in the families of thousands of children. Ripping families apart is not only immoral but also un-American. The Trump Administration is responsible for the present situation and it is their obligation to fix it.
Contact: Lourdes Ribera
Lribera@lulac.org
Phone: 513-300-0561
DEADLINE TO REUNITE IMMIGRANT PARENTS WITH THEIR CHILDREN EXPIRED AND HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN REMAIN APART FROM THEIR PARENTS
At the expiration of court deadline to reunite migrant families separated during its “zero tolerance” border crackdown, the Trump Administration said that it has delivered an additional 1,442 children to parents detained in immigration custody and is on track to return all those deemed “eligible” for reunification. However, 757 children remain in government shelters. Some of the parents have already been deported and may never reunite with their children.
LULAC Ohio condemns the Trump Administration for the inhumane approach to this problem – which was a problem of its own creation. “This situation breaks my heart and is totally unacceptable. Anyone who is a parent knows the pain these parents are going through not knowing if they will ever see their children,” said Lourdes Ribera, Deputy State Director for LULAC Ohio.
In LULAC, we believe that every child, regardless of nationality, deserves to be safe and protected. Because of recent policy change enacted by the Trump Administration, adults who arrived at the southern border were being prosecuted for illegal entry and their children were forcibly separated from them, even if they were seeking asylum. This policy resulted in nearly 3,000 children being forcibly separated from their parents with no clear tracking system or plans on how families would be reunified. As of today’s deadline, hundreds of children still remain in government shelters, including 431 children separated from parents that have already been deported and therefore may never be able to be reunited with their children.
“The Trump Administration continues to violate international law as well as basic human rights and dignity through its callous and inhumane policies and enforcement methods. We find the government’s excuses regarding why it cannot complete the reunification process to be unacceptable,” says Jessica A. Ramos, LULAC Ohio’s Civil Rights Director.
As constituents of the great state of Ohio, we are urging all voters to call on their legislators and ask them to make a conscious collective call that children should never be separated from their parents, even in cases where the parents’ only "crime" is coming to the United States in search of a better life for their family. The current Administration's policy of “zero tolerance” has resulted in traumatizing and unnecessarily interfering in the families of thousands of children. Ripping families apart is not only immoral but also un-American. The Trump Administration is responsible for the present situation and it is their obligation to fix it.
